Ann Summers to launch marketplace dedicated to lingerie

Lingerie retailer Ann Summers has revealed plans to launch a UK-based online marketplace dedicated to women’s underwear.

The retail platform, dubbed ‘Knickerbox’, is expected to go live on July 16, as reported by Retail Week, which stated that the company had invested 1.2 million pounds into its development and associated warehouse capabilities.

A total of 15 brands will be on the site as part of the initial launch, including the likes of Calvin Klein, Nudea and Lemonade Dolls, which will sit alongside a new own-brand of Ann Summers, KBX, that “fulfils a different need” to its existing label.

Next to these names, however, Ann Summers’ said that it also wanted to “empower smaller brands” via the marketplace, while further broadening its own reach in the market.

In a statement to the press, chief executive Maria Hollins said that the Ann Summers Group as a whole had “ambitious plans for growth”, with omnichannel propositions at the core, making Knickerbox an “exciting milestone”.

Hollins continued: “The new platform will create the ultimate ‘House of Underwear’ and through our carefully selected partnerships, we plan to support brands that align with our own ethos and values, namely female-founded, ethical, inclusive, and fun.

“Launching on Jacqueline Gold’s [former executive chair of Ann Summers, who passed away in 2023] birthday has been an important decision. Jacqueline was a pioneer of change, arguing for female leadership and representation in boardrooms, breaking taboos, pushing boundaries and building the Ann Summers brand.”